


like mother(s), like daughter.

by anxiouspunk



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Gen, I promise there’s still cute paris/rory stuff in here too it’s not just all family, Mother-Daughter Relationship, a lot of mothers and daughters bonding, also guess who's back!, and I’m already sorry it’s so long I swear I tried to cut it, anybody miss me? probably not, basically it's a family fic with lots of cute stuff, does anybody else actually like family fics besides me?, family fic, it’s been months but I’m still no better at titles, it’s been so long I fucking forgot how to properly tag stuff, paris is here but it’s mostly rory’s pov, the lesson here is that all wlw are useless at crushes no matter what age or generation, the one where paris and rory’s kid learns how they actually met, welcome to cheesy trope town where I am the mayor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 01:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16378424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxiouspunk/pseuds/anxiouspunk
Summary: Lora Geller-Gilmore has a crush. However, when it lands her in trouble, it's the last thing she wants to tell her parents.But they refuse to give up on her. And when they lend their open arms, she learns that maybe they didn't handle their crushes at her age any better.Or that her still-very-in-love and domestic parents, didn't have the most conventional start to their relationship either.





	like mother(s), like daughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, it's been a minute. I won't bore you by going into a massive explanation: basically in april/may, I finished a story for a friend and after had to take a huge break from writing unless I wanted my brain to melt out of my ears. After that, it was rough trying to finish anything; I had lots of ideas but couldn't seem to get anything together. Until now! Sorry it took me forever. I don't know if I love this really, but I do love the story idea (either way, it's done). 
> 
> PSA Some things you should know: I use canon info flippantly. I have Paris and Rory together since Yale, like I've done in my other fics. However, I've taken some info from the 'Year in a Life' revival as well. Like I imagine the book Rory wrote on her and her mother sold well (I know some people disliked that and the cheesy title, but frankly, I live for that kinda stuff) so she has that behind has a career as well as having found some kind of secure journalist work. To be honest with you, I'm not completely sure what Paris does; I know she went to school to become a doctor, but in the revival there's some kind of side business thing happening?? This is probably a result of not actually ever finishing the series; either way, I've just made her a very busy business person, which seems to fit canon. 
> 
> Also, I kinda borrowed their daughter's name, Lora, from this amazing 'Year in the Life' fic (archiveofourown.org/works/9076552) (I'd link that for you if I had any idea how, and trust me, I did try). I'm also of the school of mind that there's no way Rory will not name her daughter after her mother. Like c'mon. And Emily as a middle name just makes sense. Obviously I imagine other people have called Rory's potential future daughter Lorelai, but that fic kinda sparked the idea to call her Lora, so :)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

When Rory turns her phone back on, she’s got 37 unread messages and 16 missed calls from Paris. It’s about 27 and 10 more then usual.

 

That’s not good.

 

She only just walked out of her hour long meeting – how much could’ve gone wrong in such little time? She knows Paris though. The answer is a lot.

 

She contemplates drawing it out, pretending she could go back to work. But in all other times she’s tried to do that, it’s created a bigger storm out of her wife. So, she just had to be the adult and call back, resigning to the bleeding ear she’ll have the rest of the day.

 

She dials for Paris. It rings about two times –

 

“ _Did you get my messages?!”_

 

Rory winces and holds the phone further away “Well given how  many you left me, I figure it had to be a big enough disaster I could simply call.” 

 

There’s some angered grumbling. Rory tried to  decipher ; she’d gotten rather good at it, to the point by now, in her middle-age, she could call herself an expert.

 

“ _I swear to god – if all the stupid, child-ish things – I can’t believe she –”_

 

“Par, slow down –”

 

“– _and where were you?! I have about a thousand things to do and yet they kept calling_ me –”

 

“I was in a meeting –”

 

“ _What meeting?!”_

 

“– for the _book_ _proposal_ , remember? They made me turn my phone off.” Rory told her, specifically remembering going on to Paris about the group of female writer friends she’s put together, who were aiming to all write pieces on being women in the writing and publishing industry “And who’s they?” 

 

“ _The school!”_

 

Rory paused, huffing “There’s lots of schools Paris, you’re going to have to be more specific..” 

 

“ _Lots of_ _schools,_ _god’s sake..– Lora’s school Rory, what other one would it be?!”_

 

“Oh. Wait, Lora’s school?” Rory squints, stomach starting to sink “What is it? Why are they calling you? Is she okay?” 

 

“ _They’re calling me because they can’t get ahold of you! Christ they won’t stop – they must think I’m one of those damn PTA moms who has all the time in the world_ _so they can call me whenever they please because otherwise it’s just being filled by grad volunteering and food drive bullshit_ _–”_

 

“Paris is she okay?!” 

 

“ _She’s fine! But she won’t be when I get home, I swear – do you know how much time I’ve lost?! Between being interrupted by the school, talking with them, and trying to contact you I’ve lost at least an hour or more, and time is valuable –”_

 

“Paris I’ve heard the ‘time is valuable’ speech at least twenty different times, if I hear it again I’ll vomit.” Rory promised, dragging her free hand down her face “So if she’s fine, then why are they calling?!”

 

“ _I have not said it twenty times –”_

 

“Paris –”

 

“– _and it’s because_ your _daughter pulled the fire alarm!”_

 

“ _What?!”_ Rory stuggles to catch the phone she nearly dropped, stopping right in her tracks “That-that can’t be right, Lora would never –”

 

“ _You try telling them that! I was getting after them for trying to blame my child for this, but apparently they have witness accounts and Lora_ _confessed_ _to it as well!”_

 

“But..but it doesn’t make any _sense._ Lora would never risk getting in that much trouble, she’s so…like, don’t you remember when she was ten and accidentally shoplifted a bracelet because she forgot to take it out of her pocket and she cried so hard she threw up?” 

 

“ _Vividly. But she just turned fourteen, which is a vulnerable age, and she just entered high school which is already a hell hole. Now is the time to start being more cautious.”_

 

“You said that when she turned twelve. And ten. She’s a person, not a time sensitive bomb.” 

 

“ _Then you can deal with the teenage hormones!”_

 

Rory sighs, head tilting back “There’s..there’s gotta be a reason for this – what..what if someone made her do it? One of her friends or something, a dumb prank.” 

 

“ _I’d doubt it. Lora and her friends were a lot like us at that age, you know..”_

 

“Brown-nosers?..” 

 

“ _...Well I was going to say mature, but great, if that’s the way you wanna go..”_

 

Rory pinches her brow. She tried to sort out her thoughts in the silence.

 

“Great, so we have no idea what caused it – now what?” 

 

“ _Well now they’re kicking her out for the day, so they need one of us to come get her. I don’t know what you’re_ _schedule's_ _like, but thanks to this interruption I’ve got meetings pushed_ _all the way_ _back and I’m going to have to make calls and –”_

 

Rory cut her off immediately “Paris it’s fine I’ll go.” 

 

There was a sigh of relief  _“Great; at least I’ll be able to try and salvage the mess that’s happened! But text me what they tell you and you tell our daughter that I already have several threats I’m ready to give to her!”_

 

“Something tells me she already knows that.” 

 

The call ended with Paris getting cut off and yelling back to, probably, some poor assistant. Rory stared down at her phone that read _2:05_ and sighed, already putting in the number for the school as she made her way to the carpark. 

 

It was going to be a very, very long day.

 

-

 

The school was about an hour away, so it was sometime after three when she arrived. Students were now milling out as Rory steps into the  building. The office was right off the front doors so when she steps in, she spots the person of interest right away. 

 

Lora sat at the closet chair near the entrance, slumped over. Once she heard other footsteps, the mess of wavy brown hair half-haphazardly held back in a bun flew back  and eyes locked.

 

“..Oh thank god.” Lora sighed, frightened stance and tense shoulders dropping “It’s you..” 

 

Rory can only raise a brow  _“Thank_ god..?” 

 

“Well I thought they were calling mom, but I wasn’t sure. So I knew I was either going to get a slap on the wrist or I wouldn’t live to see my next birthday.” 

 

“We can upgrade that slap on the wrist..” Rory threatened, tightening her arms. Lora’s eyes went wide. 

 

“Okay, well deserved..–”

 

Rory sighs, flopping down on the chair beside her “Alright – what happened?” 

 

Lora quickly moved her eyes away to the floor. She turned quiet, pretending to be busy fiddling with her clanking, beaded bracelets. 

 

“I pulled the alarm...” 

 

“Yes, I got that from mom’s screams in my ear earlier.” 

 

Lora winced “Is she mad..?” 

 

“You wanna ask if she’s _mad_ that you pulled the alarm?!” 

 

“Okay but, on a scale of like,” Lora shifted, beginning to count off on her fingers “my coffee order took over a minute to arrive because they only employ lackies, to, this male politician on this televised national debate is a sexist jack-ass who doesn’t know what he’s talking about –”

 

“Don’t say jack-ass. And it’s sexist male politician won the debate with overall support and is now moving forward.”

 

Lora visibly paled. 

 

“ _Uh-huh.”_ Rory furrowed, trying not to make an outright glare “So cough it up.” 

 

“I told you..” Lora answered, turning away “I pulled the alarm.” 

 

“That doesn’t tell me _why.”_

 

“It..it was just a dumb idea! I just did it!” 

 

“That’s an excuse Lora, not a reason.” 

 

The teen simply shrugged. Rory’s stomach twisted, causing her to bite into her cheek. Something was awry. If this wasn’t working, then she was going to have to bring out the big guns. 

 

“ _Lora.”_ She tightened her voice, sitting up “I’m serious.” 

 

“So am I!” 

 

“What – you’re telling me you just went and pulled the alarm for fun?! You wanna sell me the idea that my daughter who keeps a B grade margin at the least and still won’t go on any rollercoasters that lift you more then five feet off the ground pulled the fire alarm just cause?” 

 

Lora angrily huffed,  giving a  scrunched-up glare in response “You don’t know me as well as you think you do you know..” 

 

“Yes I do.” Rory fought, holding back the _I’m your mother_ line on the tip of her tongue “And I know you’re smarter then this.” 

 

Lora rolled her eyes; she drew up her knees on the chair, burrowing and deliberately trying not to make eye contact. Alright, a different approach then. 

 

“Lora..” Rory inched forward, trying not to worry when her daughter inched away “I don’t want to be mad. There’s gotta be a reason for this, and I wanna talk about it and _not_ have to ground you more then you already are for not telling me why.” 

 

She didn’t say anything, rather clutching around her legs and glaring straight ahead. Rory sunk back, at her wits end. This wasn’t what should happen, what usually happens. Lora always talked to her; often, Rory was one of the first people she came to, and that was something she liked. 

 

She liked that she could be there for her like she knew mothers could, should, be.

 

“Okay, I’m going to give you one more chance to save yourself, otherwise it’s a month with _no –”_

 

“Just ground me already!” Lora spat, contorting into another glare “Mom’s gunna do it anyway, so what does it matter?!” 

 

Rory slumped back, finally having to resign. She wasn’t going to win this one. 

 

“Fine.” She spoke tightly, hoping it didn’t show her disappointment “At my great disappointment in you, we can start with a month _at least,_ before I have to go talk with the principal on the damages..” 

 

“ _Great.”_

 

Rory bit into her tongue, swallowing down her anger. Then, as if they knew they were done arguing, the door to the office opened, showing an older man in a pressed suit stepping out. He made his way straight to Rory, if not with a little reluctance. 

 

“I believe we spoke on the phone,” He started, sticking out a hand “are you, Ms. Geller…?” 

 

“No.” Rory sighed, taking the hand as she stood up “I’m Gilmore, the other name. Rory.” 

 

“Oh. Good.” He sighed, visibly untensing before realizing his words “I-I mean, _ahem,_ it’s good to meet you. I’m sorry to say it’s under such unfortunate circumstances, however.” 

 

“So am I..” She told him, shifting to the sulking teenager who only shrunk more angrily at the gaze. 

 

“As you can imagine, we take these kinds of matters seriously. So, if you follow me, we’ll have to talk about the.. _repercussions_ Lora will be facing.”

 

“Oh goody..” Rory sighed, following the suited man into the office for what she can only guess is going to be _bounds_ of fun..

 

-

 

A full hour of restrained and slightly awkward talk to the principal later, Rory had Lora back in the car. 

 

The repercussions weren’t bad, thank god. Lora went nearly free on well-off grades and good behaviour, as this was her first infraction for..anything. Whatever was left was Saturday  detention , and some helping around campus,  whether that was in the office or the lunch room. Frankly, Rory was plenty happy with that; this could’ve ended so much worse like alarm-pulling usually  does, such as suspension like the principal had no trouble bringing up several times. Paris had called her five times during, Rory ending the call back a few minutes ago once Paris had started going off when the possibilities of  expulsion and/or suspension  were mentioned. She was coming back now apparently, because this had thrown such a wrench in her schedule there was no point in staying then starting tomorrow. Rory saw Lora, who was huddled up in the seat beside, shrink at the red-riddled voice of Paris over the line. While Rory couldn’t blame her, part of her thinks the fear was well-deserved.

 

Some of it anyway, it was hard to say. It felt like eons had passed since she was Lora’s age, but as she glanced over to the teen, she did her best to be in her shoes again. It helped that Lora was near the spitting image of her, donning the crested school uniform that reminded her plenty of her teen years. Rory was the one who carried, so it made sense they looked alike; round face, hair a tone lighter but the  same chestnut brown, and the blue eyes were absolutely identical. The ones her mom had, that she had, and now Lora had. 

 

Paris had been the first to point it out.  _“They’re your eyes Rory, they’re the exact same.”_ Rory smiled distantly at the memory of a beaming Paris holding their currently four-hour-old daughter in the delivery room. Very few times in her life, had Rory seen Paris glow so brightly.

 

And now she was  older. She was pulling fire alarms. Rory really didn’t want to be one of those parents that laments about  _their little baby who’s growing up into an angry teen,_ but it was  somewhat hard  to resist. She knew there was something wrong here, though; something Lora refused to say. It wasn’t just teenage angst. 

 

The tight and extremely quiet car ride ended when Rory pulled into their drive, up to the four-story suburban house. She turned the car off and gathered her stuff, slipping out the door. She looked back to Lora who hadn’t moved, fingers hovering over the handle as she stared out the window. Paris’s car was parked up beside theirs. 

 

“It isn’t going away if you stare anymore.” Rory quips. Lora doesn’t move, swallowing hard.

 

“..If you love me you won’t make me go in there with her.” 

 

Rory snorted.

 

“What are you going to do? Run away, never come back home?” She pulls up her bag on her shoulder “There’s no way you’re escaping that – though for the low price of telling me _what happened,_ I’ll help vouch for you.” 

 

Lora stayed quiet, keeping her mother’s gaze. In the silence Rory could nearly hear her thinking, and she briefly thought that maybe, she’ll get that confession. Lora might see there was nothing she had to fear hiding. Maybe she’ll –

 

The teen ripped her head away and kicked open the door. Rory sighed for the umpteenth time. 

 

They walked up to the house through the main  entrance , leading into the massive foyee. Rory always had a back-thought to downsizing; they were a three-person family, and they had  more floors and rooms then they knew what to do with. They were fond of it though; they both fell in love with this house, and it was the one Lora grew up in. 

 

She  barely had time to throw down her bag when Lora attempted to rush past, headed for the stairs. Rory reached and snatched her collar in time, pulling her back as Lora groaned. 

 

“Nu-uh, no way, you’re going to have to try harder then that.” 

 

“But I need to put together my will before mom –”

 

“ _Lorelai Emily!”_

 

Lora seized up, eyes scrunching closed. Soon enough, the stomp of heels came approaching through the hall, revealing an enraged Paris, full form in colour coordinated pantsuit and snarl across her face. 

 

“There’d _better_ be a good reason for what you did today!” She threatened, walking over to be face-to-face with her daughter. Rory will have known Paris for past twenty years now, and she still doesn’t know how she manages to seem so tall and so terrifying at only 5’3.

 

“Do you know how many times the school called me today?! How much of my time wasted, my meetings ruined, because of the shit you pulled?! Now everything has to be rearranged because I can’t just –”

 

“– Can’t just buy more time, it’s very valuable, I do very important work!” Lora parroted, sighing as she threw up her arms “I _know_ – I could do the full soliloquy Mom!” 

 

“Then you’ve heard it enough to justify wasting my time today! So what is it?!” 

 

Lora clammed up. Her eyes dropped from Paris’s, flicking around the room as she bit into her cheek. Paris grew more angry by the second. 

 

“Well?!” 

 

“She’s quiet because she doesn’t have one, apparently.” Rory says, sliding over to stand beside her wife. Lora threw her a look, now starting to squirm under both parentals hovering over her. 

 

“What do you mean you don’t have one?! So you just pulled the alarm for shits and giggles?!” 

 

“So goes the story..” 

 

“Hey!” Lora protested with a stomp of her foot “I can speak for myself you know!” 

 

“Those were your words.” Rory furrowed. 

 

“If you can Lora, then please do, I’m _dying_ to hear.” 

 

She doesn’t. Instead, they watch her angrily fold and unfold her arms, cheeks growing redder. 

 

“I..I just _did it_ okay, there’s no story, it was just a dumb thing..” Lora grabbed hold of her bag, attempting to move by “So I’m sorry and I’ll just take my months grounding –”

 

“ _No,_ no way,” Paris grasped her arm, yanking her back “that’s bullshit and you’re not fooling anybody. So you’d better spit it out young lady, right now.” 

 

“..You know, young lady isn’t any more terrifying then using my full and middle name..” 

 

“ _Hey!”_

 

Lora flinched, the stubbornness  evaporating at the sharp voice that shook the room. Rory folded her arms again, nails digging into the skin.  She could imagine the bar of Paris’s anger hovering over her head, levels climbing up and up  until it shattered. 

 

“You think this is funny?! A joke?!” Paris stepped in closer, towering, somehow making Lora smaller.  


“No –”

 

“Am I not explaining how badly you messed up today?! Is it not _clear_ enough for you?!” 

 

“ _No –”_

 

“You’re in _serious_ trouble Lora! Kids are expelled for stunts like this, and you’re lucky I don’t make you sleep outside tonight!” Silence holds over, Paris seething and Lora shrunken with folded arms and glaring at her shoes “And here I thought you were mature enough to understand that, but clearly I was mistaken – or are you going to prove me right in the first place?!” 

 

Rory holds her breath, baiting on Lora to spill something. Anything. For her to put down the walls so many teenagers build when they get to her age. She wants to be her confidant for as much as possible, not who she has to hide from. 

 

But the thick silence didn’t end and Lora stayed silent. Stayed angry and fuming as she burned holes into the hardwood below her feet.

 

“Then that’s it.” Paris grits, hard glare as she opens up her hand “Give me your camera.” 

 

Lora’s guarded and angry expression drops into wide eyes and panic. Rory felt her stance melt a little, a pang of sympathy coming on. 

 

“What?! No!” 

 

“Paris, wait –”

 

“If all you have is jokes Lora then this must just be a laugh to you – so, in that case, you can face the real consequences!” 

 

“But –”

 

“Camera. Now. And phone. You don’t want to tell us, this is what happens.” 

 

Lora held her ground for as long as she could, staring Paris down with a look of devastation. Rory sat on the metaphoric edge of her seat, unsure; the hurt on Lora’s face made her want to buckle immediately, but, Paris was at least slightly in her right. Lora had done something wrong, and more, refused to talk to them. Maybe this was the way to teach some things.

 

“..I can wait here _all day_ Lorelai –”

 

“ _Fine!”_ Lora snapped, her own glare twisting and stubborn fire rising back. She grasped the lanyard around her neck that held up the heavy-duty, name brand camera. Her most highly held possession, which was given from them when she turned thirteen; it weighed as much as a shotput and had more buttons then Rory could honestly comprehend. She pulled it off and shoved it harshly into Paris’s hand, Rory spotting the yellow case of her phone following, after where she spits, 

 

“You don’t understand _anything!”_

 

“Oh do tell Lora, what is there about the _lack of story_ that I can’t understand?!” 

 

“You wouldn’t anyway!” She refuted, puffing up to try to seem as big as Paris “All you know is how to scream at people! You wouldn’t get anything of what happened!”

 

Paris paused and Rory swore she saw her shrink. Her own eyes went wide at that, stepping in to grasp Lora’s shoulder. 

 

“Hey, Lora, that’s unfair –”

 

Lora ripped her arm away and gave back the ugliest look. Paris, now, had just about started to foam at the mouth. She had never been good at anyone (or thing) not immediately backing down to her, which had resulted in many misadventures while parenting  (and many,  _many_ times of Rory forced to play middle man).

 

“And what did happen Lora in the life of an average teenager that was so horrible?! Contrary to what _you_ might believe, I _think_ I can recall the _dangers_ of ninth grade –”

 

“ _Par –”_

 

“I’m not sure you _could_ Mom, when you were too busy sucking up to teachers for the good grade to get anyone to like you – really, I can kinda see where they were coming from!” 

 

This time, Paris actually did shrink. Rory took a second to be completely taken aback that _Lora_ said that. Lora knew they both did exceptional in school and partook in every extra circular under the sun. She’d been so nervous about starting high school, that both of them had retold their stories to qualm her nerves. Paris has dropped several _hints_ and Rory has made enough innocent jokes to show that she was not the most well liked in school (Lora has known Paris for her entire life; she did not have to guess why), but assured her she’d been doing so well there wasn’t need to fear. Rory talked to her the day before, an arm around and promising, _trust me, it_ _ **can not**_ _be worse then my first week._

 

_What happened?_

 

 _Oh you know – I won the vengeance of the meanest girl in the school,_ _her crush tried to confess his love for me, I got the worst grade I ever had, the usual._

 

_You know, this isn’t exactly calming my nerves.._

 

_The point is, if I survived all that and lived to tell the tale, you can do this._

 

However, neither parent expected stories of their past to be used as verbal daggers.

 

They both stood  gaping until Rory clicked back in, hand coming down and she stepped in front between the two. 

 

“ _Hey,_ that’s _not_ okay! Apologize Lora.”

 

“No! It’s true isn’t it?! You guys were _so perfect_ in school, never did anything wrong! And here I go smearing our good name!” 

 

“There’s a _big_ difference between being occasionally messing up and doing something to almost get yourself suspended!” 

 

“ _Or_ expelled!” 

 

“Yeah I got it _the first time_ Mom, there’s still blood in my ear –”

 

“Well I still think it _hasn’t fully sunken in yet to you –”_

 

“Hey, both of you, we’re not doing this! Lora, you –”

 

“Well if I’m here do you wanna give me that speech again about skinning me alive if I try drugs in case I don’t wanna be boring goody-goodies like you two –”

 

“ _Hey!”_

 

Rory surprised herself by her volume, cutting any more protests of defiance or  arguments. Lora shrunk down but she continued to hold her mother’s cutting glare.

 

“That’s it, you’re done Lora! Go upstairs!”

 

She drove it home by making a direct point upstairs. Lora  glared , heaving with shoulders  rising up and down. Rory noted the gloss over her eyes, but by now, that didn’t mean anything. She knew Lora wasn’t used to her being the harsh parent and neither was  she. She honestly didn’t really care for it by the results of this. Finally, Lora broke and snatched her things, making stomps  towards the stairs.

 

“ _Fine –_ surprised you could even pull the ‘mean card’ off, probably took all the fun out for Mom.” 

 

Rory stands shocked and she doesn’t even have a response for that by the time Lora has moved past her. Paris, however, was ready at the hand to scream up the stairs. 

 

“ _That’s it_ – you lost your computer privileges too young lady!” 

 

“Sorry, can’t hear you – I’m going to hide away upstairs from being the family embarrassment! Make plans to drop outta school and buy a motorcycle!”

 

And with a slam of a door far up on the third floor, that was that.

 

Rory, now shaken herself back, bit down on another frustrated groan and put her hands over face. Great – this resolved  _nothing._ Behind her, Paris was raging. 

 

“ _God,_ just, _why_ – why do we have kids?! _Why did we_ – _ugh,_ why did we let her grow past the age of like, seven?!” 

 

“You did. You wanted kids Paris.” Rory spoke against her palms, still searching for a way out of this knotted mess

 

“Yes, and you were the fool who indulged me! God, I-I can’t _believe_ – you hear what she said to us?! And here I thought she was a good kid and we could sort it out, but _there she goes_ throwing attitude–”

 

“Because she’s _fourteen_ Paris – she’s not suppose to be able to have a fully mature conversation!” Rory thew out her arms to her, feeling her anger rise over her head _“You’re_ the adult, that’s on you! Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m trying to diffuse _two_ toddlers who’re only trying to see who can scream louder!” 

 

“ _So what_ – I should’ve just let her go?! That’s how we’re parenting now, no consequences?!” 

 

“ _No –”_

 

“She broke a rule, a damn big one, and _I’m_ not going to baby her even if _you_ want to. A goddamn fire alarm Rory, _just, you have to be kidding, I, argh_ – you know what!? I-I can’t, I have to leave –”

 

To either Rory’s relief or frustration (she wasn’t completely sure) Paris stormed by her. She stomped down the stairs headed for the rec room, screaming something about this is why you send your kids to boarding school and why didn’t they test this out on a pet first. Rory bit down the urge to yell back that it’s because Paris hates dogs. 

 

Instead, she  takes a seat at the last staircase step and collapses back in defeat. She sat there for a while, hands dragging down her face and sighing deeply, repeatedly, like doing it enough would solve her upset family that were now separated in a bitter fight. She wanted a solution, but felt so unbelievably tired as she splayed out on the couch. Maybe Paris was right. Lora was simply turning into a teen. She wasn’t sure,  but the thought frightened her enough. She felt like she knew her daughter too well for that. 

 

In the end, she knew sitting here wouldn’t give her an answer. 

 

After resting for ten minutes or so, Rory felt like she could orientate herself enough to get up. She gathers her things, dragging it up the few flights to the bedroom. She passes the closed door to Lora’s room, lingering, almost swearing she could hear the angry sulking. 

 

Finally, she reaches the near top where the master bedroom was. It’s about four flights of stairs, and really, the most exercise Rory gets trying to conquer  them daily. This house had an obscene amount, which was always her number one basis for moving is that she shouldn’t be doing the equivalent of a mountain hike to simply go to bed. And she can’t even count how many accidents Lora has had running down on them as a child – she  was, unfortunately, rather prone to them.

 

Their bedroom was, given, the biggest in the house. Rory walks to her side of the king bed to drop her bag by  her bedside drawer with it’s overflowing pile of books and pictures of baby Lora. It had one of Rory’s favourites; her mother holding up her daughter, only three then, both sticking out their tongues at each other. Lorelai also had a copy, one of her beloved photos of her granddaughter. It was kind of amazing to Rory, how much Lora took after her namesake. It was said a lot, how Lora had Rory’s good heart, Paris’s strong spirit, and Lorelai’s humour.

 

She began shedding layers as she walked through the room; coat being hung up at the back of the door, tossing  her heels off somewhere while wondering why she  continuously puts up with that torture. The necklace drawn over her collar is unclasped and carefully spooled in the box; she never wore much, but some was her grandmother’s given to her after her passing, so she makes sure to be careful with it.

 

Next was to immediately shed everything for sweats. Inside the shared closet, she pulls off the skirt and blouse to switch them  for the faded Yale sweater and old jeans, sighing contently. Much better. Using the body mirror Paris uses to try  on ten  different outfits without running back from the washroom, she ties up her hair into a bun. She leans in after, squinting at the possible sign she might’ve seen of – yes, another grey hair. Great.  She hangs her head. Paris would tell her that it wasn’t that bad, where Rory  rebuttals back that she isn’t allowed to have an opinion because she a. was blonde and b. has been bleaching it for years anyway. However, on brown hair that could almost be mistaken for black, grey hair stood out like a sore thumb. You know, just in case anyone needed to know how old she was getting. 

 

S he turns on the mirror with a huff, going back to the bedroom. Now what? The house was still eerily quiet, Lora mopping in her room and Paris yelling to herself  _somewhere_ downstairs. Silver lining in fights, at least there’s space to be as angry and upset as you want. Sighing, she sat down on the edge of tucked comforter, elbows on knees and chin resting on palms to think.  In the end, she keeps  staring  down the set of photos put together on the chest of drawers  opposite the bed.

 

It was the collection of their wedding photos. Rory was currently  face-to-face to the frame of the actual  ceremony, which took place inside none other then Stars Hallow’s town gazebo. To this day, Rory  remains surprised Paris went for that. She can still picture her flippantly breezing through brochures and photos for where to hold the event, saying with conviction, 

 

“ _This isn’t just about me Rory. This is your day too. And I know how important it is to you to have it in your hometown with every single so-and-so from that tourist trap there, so don’t try to lie about it. Despite jokes, I can compromise.”_

 

Rory smiled to herself now, shaking her head. It had been quite the day  of panicked stress but also one of the happiest of their lives. And everybody from Stars Hallow had been there, turns out, the both of them joking they’d made quite the strides to be the town’s first ever same-sex wedding (which Taylor will for sure try to sell for tourist points). 

 

That wasn’t her favourite though. The best was from the professional ones they had taken afterwards. It had them on either side of Lorelai, her mother’s arms around their wastes. All three of them were beaming for the camera, even Paris, happy to be beside two people she loved so. Lorelai  dueled the rules for both the parents very well; she did every tradition with Rory, the one to walk down the aisle with her any everything, but she stepped in for Paris too. Really, Rory shouldn’t have expected  anything  less.

 

Paris’s parents cut contact the second they knew about the engagement. They spewed something about it being vile and a smearing of the Geller name and not wanting any association to it. Paris pretended like it was fine – she’d expected nothing less from them, she’d never really cared for them as they’d never really cared for her – but, like always, she’d fallen apart later, sobbing against Rory who held her tight because even if they’d been horrible parents, they were still her  _ parents  _ after all. 

 

So, she hadn’t had anyone to walk her down or give blessings. Rory could tell that it stung underneath, and it made her worry too, so after she was passed off half-way during the parent-daughter dance from her mom to her dad, she was so happy when Lorelai pulled Paris into dance with them for the rest. And by Paris’s wide smile and teary eyes as she let Lorelai lead her around, so was she.

 

Now Rory couldn’t help but grin at it. Lorelai always wanted the best for her, and even for  someone who  wasn’t her child but  regarded her as  her  mother figure. With Lora, she thinks she always has best intentions, and mom wasn’t perfect either, but she’d – 

 

Wait.  _ There’s  _ her answer. 

 

Rory sprung up, tearing open her bag for her phone. She pulls up the familiar number and waits as it dials, if not a little anxiously. She was kind of desperate for advice, and really, there was no better place to seek it.

 

“ _This is the Dragonfly Inn, how can I help you?”_

 

“This is your cell.” Rory replies, blinking back.

 

There was a long pause.

 

“… _.You know, this is what I get for answering the phones instead of making Michele do his job.”_

 

“Or for working at the same job for thirty plus years – I’m not sure what they’re gunna do when you finally decide to retire.”

 

“ _Eh, they never liked me much anyways. Though I’ve been thinking about that because you know, out of me and Luke, it’s gunna be me who retires. He’s gunna die in that restaurant, and I’m pretty sure after he’s gunna cryogenically freeze his body so he can stand it there in the back and watch over from the grave. Like a really creepy effigy.”_

 

“I have a monumental problem.” Rory blurted out. Her mom didn’t miss a beat.

 

“ _You’re in luck – I have a special on those. What’s up?”_

 

“It’s Lora.”

 

“ _Lora? As in your daughter, formally Lorelai, the fourth of the name in her family? That one?”_

 

“Specifically.”

 

“ _That doesn’t seem right. What could my sweet, dotting angel granddaughter ever do?”_

 

“You know she isn’t here so you don’t need to defend her so blindly.”

 

“ _I’m her grandmother. That’s like...my only job.”_

 

“Yeah well, your sweet-angel granddaughter pulled the fire alarm at school today, so I don’t think it’s petty of me to say to eat your words.”

 

“ _She did_ _what?!”_

 

“Uh-huh.” 

 

“ _Wait wait, walk me through this kid – what happened?..”_

 

“That’s just it, I don’t know!” Rory collapsed right back on the bed “I-I got a screeching call from Paris in the middle of the day telling me the school was calling her because Lora was in hot water for pulling the alarm. I go get her, and she...she _refuses_ to tell me why! I _know_ it’s so unlike her and I _know_ there’s something she’s not telling me about it, but I can’t get it out of her – I tried lifting the grounding, trying to help, but she won’t budge.”

 

“ _Okay, so –”_

 

“And refusing to fess just sent Paris off and started a screaming match between the two of them where Paris claimed nothing could've been so bad to make her do that, and Lora said what would she know when no one liked her in school, where _I_ had to step in and eventually banish her to her room because she said we were boring goody-two shoes at her age who never did anything wrong so we wouldn’t get it, so _now_ I have an angrily sulking teenager _and_ wife downstairs, and I just..I don’t know..” 

 

Rory sighed her defeat, flopping back on the bed and hand covering her eyes. 

 

“ _Kid just breathe, alright, this can be fixed –”_

 

“But I don’t know how to fix it.” Rory spoke quietly, swallowing through a thick throat “You have to tell me how to fix it..” 

 

“ _You think I know? Rory, half the time I’m amazed I got you as far as I did and even then I think you honestly did half of it..”_

 

“Give me some backwards wisdom then..” She pried, willing for _any_ answers at this point “I mean, is Paris actually right? She keeps giving dooms-day prophecies about teenagers and it was only a matter of time before this kind of thing happened, but I..I don’t know if I believe that – I also don’t know if that’s just blind optimism either or..” 

 

She pressed her palm down harder, back to pinching her nose. By now, she seriously wished this bed would open up and envelop her, saving her from frustrating responsibilities. Lorelai took a second of contemplative silence, sighing deep before she continued.

 

“ _Well, if you want any wisdom besides how to mellow out angry hotel guests for not catering to their every whim and convincing your health conscious spouse into making breakfast for dinner, my spidey-sense is telling me that this is not simply the fallouts of teenagerdom.”_

 

“ _Thank_ you.”

 

“ _Not all anyway – a mix, probably. I bet too that there’s something behind it, with teenager..ness sprinkled in.”_

 

“I just..this is _so_ unlike her. I know she’s better then pulling dumb pranks – _or_ mouthing off. So what would make her act like this?”

 

“ _Uh-huh. Well, I once knew a very studious teen who nearly gave up a step towards her dream of going to Yale that she had since she was wee, for a cute boy she’d known less then 24 hours.”_

 

Rory pauses. She  presses her lips together, at a loss of how to combat that.

 

“….What’s your point?” 

 

There’s a warm laugh from the other side. 

 

“ _Kids will surprise ya, kid. But just like I knew deep down you wouldn’t give up school for any guy, I know you know there’s a real reason Lora wouldn’t pull an alarm for yuks. On the other hand though, I kinda can’t help but agree with her..”_

 

“For what?” 

 

“ _I mean, she’s right – that is kind of an inadvertently large_ _shoes_ _you and Paris have left for her_ _to fill..”_

 

Rory stalls. That couldn’t really be true, right? No where have either her or Paris indicated Lora had to follow in their exact, laid-out footsteps.

 

“Wait, you..you don’t think she really thinks..” 

 

The words blare loud and clear in her head. _“You guys were_ so perfect _in school, never did anything wrong! And here I go..”_

 

Rory sprung up from the bed. 

 

“Oh my god, she does – she..that-that’s not true! Paris and I aren’t at all expecting her..oh god, she-she can’t think that! I-I gotta –”

 

“ _Woah, hey, pump the breaks – you still have no action plan.”_

 

“I just can’t believe I let that slip! I..god, she must feel _awful_ and I should've seen that or said something – god what other ways can I screw up my daughter?! Every way, it seems..” 

 

“ _Rory, you’re not going to do everything right. That’s impossible. In reality, you’re lucky to make the right parenting choice like...30% of the time. God, I can’t even remember all the times I screwed up..”_

 

“I can imagine..” 

 

“ _You want me to list them? Make a comparison?”_

 

“You know what, that’s okay.” Rory argued, cutting that off immediately “I’m already worried about my kid, I don’t see having a crisis about myself and my growing up as being something very helpful to provide..” 

 

“ _Who said that was the point?”_

 

Rory sighs, head falling back into hand s “ Alright, I get  your message, I do – I just wanna help her..” 

 

“ _Then that’s it kid. I mean, I’m no expert, but you and I spent a lot of time together. I could never hit the nail right on the head, but I could always be there for you. I guess the game plan now is really driving that home to Lora..”_

 

“Okay, but...how?” 

 

“ _You gotta weasel your way in there – find some sorta incentive. I know she wants to talk to you Rory, deep down. You just gotta..pry it out.”_

 

“Like how? What kind of incentive?” 

 

“ _I dunno, you know her best. There’ll be something.”_

 

“Alright, I can do that.” Rory stands back up, taking in another breath for courage “And..thanks mom..”

 

“ _Hey, anytime. And keep me posted; there’s nothing going on and unless I wanna hear Luke yell at the contestants on that cooking show he pretends he doesn’t care about, I’m gunna need a distraction. It was only amusing for so long. Godspeed to you.”_

 

-

 

In a handful of minutes, Rory had drawn up her plan. She’d grasped her things and jacket to bolt out of the bedroom. The convenience store was open for a handful more hours, and she intended to beat closing time.

 

She clambers back down the many stairs, headed for the front door. She goes by the kitchen on the way, aiming for where she hung up her car keys. However she  catches the lurking body inside first. She turned to spot Paris up against the counter; she’d gone from suit to workout clothes, Rory knowing she changed downstairs in the rec room that held the  punching bag Paris had no doubt been wailing on for the past hour. The tactic had been suggested to her years ago in her youth, by a councilor who said physical exertion like that could help with her extreme anger. She’d originally dismissed the idea that it was for simpleton men who only knew how to hit then use language, until finding out she rather liked it after being forced to try. Now, instead of verbally using people as punching bags, she exerts it through this and usually comes out more calmer then Rory ever normally sees her. 

 

But right now Paris was not at ease. Instead she was mulling around the kitchen that was mostly dark. Rory spotted a glass of scotch resting beside her. Her hands were in her hair. 

 

Oh boy. 

 

Rory sighed, recalculating her next plan of action. She was going to have to diffuse this first. 

 

She walks in, right up to her wife who didn’t seem to notice she was there. She was probably too busy muttering her thoughts aloud, which Rory could hear. 

 

“Paris.” 

 

Nothing.

 

“Paris take your hands out of your hair.” 

 

“This is _impossible.”_ Paris groans, throwing down her hands. 

 

“What, taking your hands out? You just did it –”

 

“ _No._ I mean _Lora_ – I just went up there to _try_ and reconcile and she-she’d jammed the door! Since when can she do that?!”

 

“Well as it turns out, she’s very smart..” 

 

Paris grumbles and spits under her breath, taking another swig of scotch. Rory sighs. 

 

“Listen, I just talked to mom. I’ve got a plan that I think –”

 

“Does she hate me?” Paris breaks in with a nervous voice. Rory glances back, gaze pointed, seeing how close to extremely upset she was. 

 

“She does _not_ hate you, she’s being fourteen –”

 

“I don’t want her to hate me.” She laments, dragging her hands over her face. 

 

“She _doesn’t –”_

 

“I don’t want to be my mother. I don’t want to be that kind of mother, or even like her – and _god,_ I don’t want to be my father either –”

 

“You are _not._ Paris, I swear we have this conversation every time you and Lora argue, like you’re _suppose_ to do as parent and child – something that I’m sure had to come up in all those parenting books you ingested when I was pregnant. God you were worried about this before she was even _born._ You aren’t like them.”

 

“But –”

 

“You’re not. Lora loves you. You just like to conveniently forget all the time.” 

 

“...I do not.” 

 

“Do _so.”_

 

“Well have you asked her lately?!” 

 

“I don’t _need_ to because you _know it._ She does. Every time she has a hard question on her homework, she goes to you, not me. She wanted you for the grade sixth career day. Whenever there was scary parts of a movie as a kid, she would dive into _your_ arms because you can’t be scared.” 

 

“…..Well you do jumpscare very easily..” 

 

“What’s disappointing is after being with you so long I haven’t built up an immunity to it.” 

 

“Very funny.” 

 

The corner of her mouth nearly lifts up. Paris simply raises an eyebrow at that, but at least the scowl had left. Rory leans forward and squeezes her hand.

 

“We’re gunna figure this out. I got a plan.” She promises, walking off to the hooks where she retrieved her keys “Just try not to worry yourself into a frenzy while I’m gone.”

 

“What plan?!”

 

“Can’t say, gotta go! Just trust me!”

 

Rory knows, and certainly by the growl resounding, that Paris hates being left in the dark. But there was no time as she calls from the open doorway, rushing out to the car. Time to patch some things.

 

_-_

 

Rory comes back approximately twenty-two minutes later with a large tub of double chocolate cookie dough ice cream under her arm. It takes her seven more minutes to put her keys away, take off the seal, and grab some spoons before making her way upstairs. 

 

There’s only silence coming out of Lora’s room. Rory wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Paris had already taken away her laptop, so god knows what she’s going to get up to now. As she approaches to turn the doorhandle, she prays that they haven’t lost complete control and will walk in to find the window open and her daughter gone. 

 

That was not the case, blessedly (and also, that the door opened at all, meaning Lora had backed down enough to remove the blockers). She peered into the bedroom, scanning for the teen. 

 

Lora got the second largest room in the house. She’s managed to keep it half-way clean; the carpeted floor mostly spotless, the book nook under the window opposite her straightened out with it’s pillows and curtains. What took up most of the room was the hoard of equipment on the far side corner, nestled beside the t.v atop it’s stand, and the walk-in closet next to that closest to her. Light stands, camera stands, lumps of chords, what have you. Lora had been interested in the stuff since she was seven. They use to give her disposable cameras and she’d gleefully run around the house taking photos of whatever she could. Now, it’s film; Lora films absolutely everything (including her parents, to their sometimes annoyance) and had taken to directing projects with friends. She wants to go to school for it; Rory’s been allowed to occasionally see the films she’s been trying to make and says it’s worth trying, while Paris usually gives a tight-lipped _we’ll see._ Rory knows Lora feels about it the same way she used to about books at that age; she’s seen how her eyes light up and the way her voice peaks when talking about frames and colouring and how you get to tell a story.

 

On the  opposite wall, nearest the door, was the cluttered desk that had about a thousand different film posters  tapped above it, including  others of female actresses.  Rory knows about next to none of them. What always made her smile, was the cryptically old poster of Buffy the hung there that used to belong to  _her._ Lora had just become old enough to watch it with them and had taken a great liking to it, causing Paris to joke that she’s never made Rory prouder. Lora also had artfully strung up many polaroids of her  friends, each hung up by a linen clip along a string.

 

She finally finds her daughter sat up on her bed, which lay beside the desk  with the headboard  against the middle of the wall.  The  comforter  was  thrown over her head in the ultimate sulking move. Rory swallows down a laugh for the betterment  of her cause  – oh, the dramatics of being fourteen. 

 

Tentatively, she walks forward to the bed. She has to duck under the christmas lights Lora strung at the footend of the bed up to the ceiling, the ones Paris constantly calls a fire hazard. She’s surprised when Lora doesn’t say anything, almost expecting to be hissed at immediately. When she takes a seat down at the end however, 

 

“Go away.” the lump spoke dejectedly, muffled by the blanket. Rory raised an eyebrow, but kept her smile. Here goes nothing. 

 

“I come bearing a peace offering.” She tells her. She takes the tub of Lora’s favourite ice cream and places it in front of the moping lump. 

 

Silence. Rory chews on her tongue in the anxious waiting period. Slowly, the lump starts to move, and the blanket is gradually pulled back. Not the complete way, but enough for Rory to finally see her daughter’s face thankfully – and noting the red, teary eyes. 

 

Which widen when spotting the treat. 

 

Lora’s no fool though; she regards it warily and doesn’t immediately swipe. After gauging, she asks, 

 

“How do you know I’ll go for it..?” 

 

“You have Gilmore genes.” Rory explains simply “You can’t resist.” 

 

Lora bitterly grumbles, which sounded a lot like an agree ment . After long, quiet deliberating,  she holds out her hand. 

 

“Gimmie the spoon..” 

 

Rory smiles out of triumph, though tries to hide it for polites’ sake. She hands it over but before Lora can pull open the lid, Rory’s hand comes down on it. 

 

“But if you eat any of this and still refuse to tell me, or lie, I’ll take it away.” She smiles easily to the startled expression “And I’ll eat it all by myself.” 

 

Lora’s brow arched “Noted – though I’m sure that’s exactly what comes up under ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’”

 

“You don’t think I know that?” 

 

“Is that what they suggest in those parenting books?” 

 

“Your mom read those; I only pretended to read the parts she flagged for me.” Rory takes the other spoon, scooping along the edge “Now, I’m really eager to hear this story.” 

 

Lora immediately withdrew. She stared gloomily down at the ice cream, repeatedly taking out her spoon to wedge it in again. 

 

“Well you don’t have to take it out on the poor ice cream..” 

 

“...It’s really stupid..” 

 

“That’s a promising start.” 

 

Lora huffed, throwing up her arms. Realizing her step back, Rory quickly reached across the bed, grasping her arm and giving her a trusting smile. 

 

“Lora, I’m sure it’s not stupid..” 

 

“It is though!” She exclaimed, smushing her palms into her face to hide the red cheeks “It’s this-belongs-on-a-sitcom-it’s-so-ridiuclous kind of stupid!” 

 

“Surely you don’t think you’re the only one here who’s done something embarrassing. There’s no judgment.” 

 

She doesn’t take them away, but fingers slide  apart so Rory can barely see the baby blues behind, scrutinizing her word. 

 

“..Swear?” 

 

“Cross my heart.” 

 

“On Grandma’s future grave?..” 

 

“ _Lora.”_

 

“Fine. It..it’s got to do with something that happened this morning, before class...” 

 

“Were you trying to get out of a test or something?”

 

Lora shook her head. She brought up her pillow to bury her face in. 

 

“Well that’s good – ‘cause, I’m not gunna lie, I would be pretty mad if that was the case.”

 

“I know. It’s not that, it’s..got to do with a person..” 

 

“Someone in your class? Did-did they force you to do this?!” Her parental protectiveness clicks on like a light and she reaches in again to grasp her arm “Lora, if someone’s picking on you –”

 

“ _No_ god  mum, it’s not that – you can put down your guns. Thankfully, unlike you, I did not win the affections of the school bully..” 

 

Rory tries not to laugh at the wording. Instead she puts another spoonful in her mouth, thinking.

 

“So..if you weren’t being forced to do it and it wasn’t a test you were avoiding..– what, were you just trying to impress someone who’s impressed by sub-par rule breaking..?”

 

Long pause. Rory tilts her head, cogs starting to churn away. Lora brings down the pillow, her eyes now looking very deer-in-the-headlights. 

 

“It’s, um...sort of, yes and no..” 

 

Rory’s brow goes up. Impressing someone, and then being greatly embarrassed talking about it, can only mean..

 

“Wait, so you’re telling me this is a..–”

 

Lora groans and throws herself down on the bed before her mother can even get out the c word. Rory can’t help but grin, maybe finding this a _little_ adorable. This, now, makes a lot more sense. 

 

“Lora, it’s okay, everyone gets crushes –”

 

“Don’t!” Lora squeaked “I don’t need the mom sympathy speech, please spare me.” 

 

“Alright,” Rory pulls back, doing her best to stuff away the smile “but I should say not everyone pulls _fire alarms_ to impress them..” 

 

“That wasn’t it though!” Lora sprang up “that-that was a mistake, I was trying to do something else to impress her and I just _god_ I looked like such a stupid idiot and she probably knows it and _augh –”_

 

Lora pushes the pillows over her face in frustration. Rory swallows her laugh; she was a teen too, she has to remember. Back then, if you didn’t hit it off with the person you liked, the world might as well be crumbling down. She waits until Lora’s calmed down – it was these moments that really make it known, yes, she was Paris’s daughter too – and then leans in, hand on her knee and the other pushing over the tub. 

 

“Well luckily, we already have ice cream on us. Now,” she smiles more, rubbing at her knee to try and encourage “you wanna tell me about this girl..?” 

 

Lora, after putting the pillow down and throwing over  the hood  on her sweater, sighs and admits. Slowly, Rory’s getting the walls to chip down. It’s no different then having conversations with her wife, honestly. 

 

“..She’s new..” Lora muttered, eyes scrunched up and fingers pulling the fringe of her hood down.

 

“And?..” 

 

“Well she came in today ‘cause we have the same homeroom, and _mom I can hear you outside the room!”_

 

Lora glares to the door, and Rory, squinting, follows for an explanation. There’s a waiting silence, until Paris steps from the hallway into frame. 

 

“How could you tell?! I never crossed by!” 

 

“I can hear you _stalking.”_

 

“How did _I_ not hear you?” Rory asks, more so to herself because after so long, she’s been able to pick up on Paris much like a sixth sense. The blonde rolls her eyes, crossing over. 

 

“You’re too used to it.” 

 

“That’s what I’m saying.” She argued, watching Paris plop down beside her. Across Lora groaned loudly, having completely pulled the hood over her face.

 

“Alright,” Paris sighs, sitting up proper “no need for dramatics, you can continue your story.” 

 

“I don’t wanna tell you! You were spying!” 

 

“Well only because _someone_ didn’t feel like detailing it out earlier.” Paris counteracted, making a pointed look to her daughter. Lora slit her eyes. 

 

“Okay, both of you,” Rory leaned in, tone indicating this was being shut down now “we’re not having this conversation again. Lora, keep going. Par...you could’ve just come inside.”

 

“Look, I wasn’t –”

 

Paris was cut off by the pinch at her waist. She threw a look to Rory who was showing her the most frustration she could restrain at this. Paris metaphorically stepped back;  _ she’s fourteen, you’re the adult! _ The one thing she figured about having children is that she had to learn to bow her head and become better friends with compromise. Lora wasn’t necessarily right, but this wasn’t about coming out on top; this was about her daughter. So, she sighed and glanced back at Lora, flames lowered and willing. 

 

“You’re right, I didn’t mean to infringe. You can continue if you want.” 

 

Lora grumpily folded her arms in reply. She took time deliberating, switching cautious glances between her two parents. 

 

“I embarrassed myself in front of a crush. That’s the story, the end.”

 

“Wait, I still wanna hear about the girl!” Rory protested. She’d been close to hearing exactly who this girl was and what was so great about her that Lora had to risk detention. 

 

“I’m intrigued also. And that’s not the full story.” Paris said, stealing Rory’s spoon and scooping out some ice cream. Lora sighs again. 

 

“You guys are the worst..” 

 

“I told you the deal. Tell the story or mom and I eat this entire tub.” 

 

“You said she’s in your homeroom, and?...” 

 

“And she’s new and, like, she’s just really cool and funny and her name her Kiran and she plays guitar and like, is so pretty – her hair, she braids it on one side ‘cause her parents won’t let her shave it for an undercut and it looks so cool and she has such a pretty smile ‘cause it’s sorta lopsided but it totally suits her and..” hearing herself drone on, Lora’s eyes start to go wide in realization “...oh god. This is bad isn’t it?” 

 

“Sounds like you’re deep enough to not see the sun at the top of the hole kid.” Rory grinned. 

 

“You already pulled the fire alarm.” Paris argued “I don’t think it gets worse then that.” 

 

“So what happened?”

 

Lora pressed her palms against her eyes, groaning “It’s so..awful – so, okay, Mr. Maeson said he needed someone to show her around and so I-I volunteered and I took her to the lockers and stuff and it..like, it was actually fun and she’s so cool to hang out with..and then.. _ god..”  _

 

“You charmed her?” Rory offered. 

 

“You made a terrible mistake?” Paris tried. Rory resisted pinching her again. 

 

Lora pulled her hands down enough to glower over them “No heckling from the audience. It’s just...you know, I opened my mouth which was really the heart of the problem So, I said she plays guitar right? So I asked her about it, and she told me she’s been playing a long time and that she liked all these rock bands and I said they were great too even though I had  _ no idea  _ who they were which I guess, got her to ask if  _ I  _ played guitar and then..I...” 

 

Rory immediately saw the horrible unfolding  of the story  without Lora needing to say anything. She grins against better judgment. 

 

“You told her you played guitar didn’t you?” 

 

“I don’t know _why!”_ Lora laments, throwing her hands up in defeat “Like I just said _yes_ – why did I do that?! I don’t think I’ve even _held_ a guitar! My music skills are null – I couldn’t even operate the triangle. Even Mrs. Brown wouldn’t let me back into the mandatory choir class in sixth grade because I would miss my note every time –”

 

“Lora it’s okay..” 

 

“It’s not though! Because then she said it would be cool to try playing together and I said it would so she suggested meeting up at lunch to do it and, like, I wanted another excuse to hang out with her so I just said yes _again!_ So I set up a whole meet-up with her which would’ve been great if I a. had a guitar and b. could play it! But I don’t! I was freaking out the entire time and when lunch came we saw each other in the hall and she started coming towards me and I didn’t know what to _do_ because it’s not like I could fake this musical talent but then she’d hate me if I said I outright lied to her! So I panicked and tried to escape but I knew I wouldn’t out-run her and that’s when I saw the fire alarm switch and since I’m a stupid idiot who couldn’t think of another way out, I just pulled it without thinking and _now_ we’re here..” 

 

Lora collapsed with a sigh, head in hands. After that great deliverance, the parents could only glance wide-eyed at each other. If Lora hadn’t been right there, Rory would’ve bet Paris that those parenting books couldn’t have prepared her for this no matter how many she read.

 

“..Well that’s the last thing I was expecting..” Paris admitted.

 

“..Here,” Rory pushed the tub into Lora’s lap “I don’t think anything we can say can fix it better then this.”

 

Lora made some kind of noise of aggravation as a response. She took the ice cream and began shoveling it in the saddest way  possible. Rory  patted her knee as she made sad whimpering noises. 

 

“And now it’s even worse –”

 

“Lora don’t talk with your mouth full of ice cream.” Paris scolded.

 

“– because now she’s thinking I flaked! Or, if she heard when word got out that I pulled it, she’ll think I was trying to get out of it! And not because I’m a dofus who can’t actually play guitar, but that I never wanted to in the first place! That I’m some no-show jerk! That’s not true!”

 

“Lora I’m sure she’s not thinking that..” Rory tried. She shuffled over to her, letting Lora flop down, head on lap, where she started parting the brown hair and making a side note that they needed to get it cut soon.

 

“Yes, it sounds more like an over-dramatizing of events then anything.” Paris added. 

 

“You don’t know that..”

 

“Mom is quite familiar with over-dramatizing and catastrophizing – she’d know it if she saw it.” 

 

“Don’t start with me Rory.”

 

“Can’t I just switch schools? I can go to that all boys school; cut my hair and switch my name to Lawrence. No one will know or follow me there!” 

 

“Mm, I’m sorry,” Rory smiles, gathering the hair away from her face “even a name change won’t save you from the fact that the Gilmore women are cursed with terrible romantic luck. You were doomed from the start.” 

 

“Lora you’re not the first to embarrass yourself in front of a crush.” Paris reminded her as Lora burrowed herself into Rory “Everyone has made mistakes and made inadvertent fools of themselves.” 

 

“Forgive me if I’m not immediately comforted by the people who’re going on, what like, sixteen years of an idealistic marriage or something?..” 

 

Contemplative silence. Paris flicked her eyes to Rory, who in turn pressed her lips together, saying, 

 

“Well, believe it or not, our story hasn’t exactly been perfect..” 

 

“C’mon mum, I _know_ the story – you guys were friends in high school, and then dated in college and then finally married into happy suburbia with a kid.”

 

They glanced back to each other again. By now Lora was picking up on the stretched silence, furrowing at them. 

 

“Do we dare?...” Rory finally posed. She didn’t want to do it if Paris was behind it; to her surprise, the blonde looked uncharacteristically unopinionated.

 

“I’m surprised we haven’t even brought up it yet.” 

 

“What?..” Lora started rising up with intrigue. 

 

“I think we simply didn’t want to freak her out.”

 

“ _What_ what is it?!”

 

They guessed there was no more hiding it. Cat had to come out of the bag at some point. Rory shuffled back to the opposite side to be eye-to-eye with Lora, asking,

 

“You remember when I said on my first day at a new high school, I won the vengeance of the meanest girl in school?” 

 

“Yeah?..” Lora squinted “Is that how you guys met? Did she try and bully mom too?” 

 

Rory wore a grin that stretched out to show how much she secretly  enjoyed this. 

 

“Your mom didn’t need to be bullied because she _was_ the bully.” 

 

Lora’s eyes popped and Paris rolled hers. 

 

“Okay –”

 

“ _What?! Mom!”_

 

“meanest girl in school is a bit of an exaggeration Rory.” 

 

“That’s an _exaggeration?”_ Rory drew up her eyebrows “In the first week, legitimately feared the day you would pull a knife on me –”

 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic – it wouldn’t have been worth it to just kill you off anyway..”

 

“No – just the more psychotic route of psychologically psyching me out first, not at all a dramatic overexaggeration..” 

 

“Hello!?” Lora yelped, waving her arms “I’m gunna need someone to backtrack this for me, and explain _please.”_

 

Paris cut off Rory before she got another chance “It’s simple – your mother was a new transfer into our high school –”

 

“Which you didn’t like.” 

 

Paris sighs “her accolades showed she had incredible writing skills and interest. I was currently editor of the school’s paper. And what I was  _ not  _ about to do was loose that position to someone who’d just strolled in – mid year, mind you.”

 

“And you were as competitive as you are now, I’m assuming.” 

 

“Worse then.” 

 

Paris threw Rory a retaliating look “So, there was only one solution. And that was to deliberately show your mum not to get any ideas that I could be so easily taken down.”

 

“So what did you do slash say?”

 

“Let’s not get into details.” Rory quickly shut down “She was just your regular school ground bully.” 

 

“So like..insults and bad rumors?..” 

 

“And more threats..” 

 

“ _Mom.”_

 

“and menacing stars across the room to set my head on fire..” 

 

“My whole world is falling apart right now.” Lora declared, hands in hair and eyes the size of saucers.

 

“ _Look,”_ Paris snipped, waving around the spoon as an accusatory pointer “what does it matter? We’re here now! Clearly, this would go on to retaliate against me in that a. your mum was half as stubborn and fought right back, and b…my feelings would be my own undoing.”

 

“Care to elaborate on that?” Rory probed her chin on her fist, leaning over. The grin she was poorly pressing down showed she knew exactly what Paris meant. And that Paris knew it by the grand roll of her eyes.

 

“I mean you were beautiful. And even smarter then papers spoke of you. You could run circles around anyone in that place. And what was both frustrating and intriguing is that you didn’t care who knew it. I was far too head over heels then I intended to be.” Paris took a hard stab at the ice cream and Rory bit into a laugh “So, the only way to battle these feelings that my not-yet-fully-matured sixteen-year-old self could come up with was to be meaner.” 

 

“Flawless plan really, to get your crush to like you..” 

 

“I never wanted you to know I liked you – god, I rather would’ve died..” 

 

Rory would've been mad if she didn’t know Paris so well, or if she could stop laughing.

 

“Well, I can’t say you ever perfectly dealt with your feelings. And I guess it would’ve been a little more then alarming to discover the girl I hated because she hated me first, actually had a crush on me..” 

 

“So wait,” Lora held up her hands to pause the conversation, furrowing “this means like..mom was basically doing the equivalent of pulling on your hair and pushing you down in the sandbox?..” 

 

Rory pauses, blinking back as she considered – 

 

“Precisely.” 

 

“Well if you want to go by old, sexist stereotypes.” Paris commented, after looking sharply to Lora “And this was a one time occurrence – do not think that anyone should get your time if they’re cruel to you, or even that it means they like you. _Especially_ men – niceness is what gets women killed and you should not take that lying down.” 

 

“Par do you have to –”

 

“I know. I mean, it helps when you’re a lesbian and would rather eat dirt then kiss a guy, but you always told me if one tried something on me to kick him in the balls.” 

 

“And I still stand by that.” 

 

“Alright,” Rory pinched the bridge of her nose, hand out to bring an end to this topic “lets not get into bloody details, shall we?”

 

“Okay, but..if you guys hated each other that much, then..how-how did you get here?..” 

 

“Well, it turns out you can’t run from your feelings for forever. The closer I got to Rory, the more in love with her I became, to the point I couldn’t ignore it anymore.” 

 

“And once I chipped you down,” Rory teased, smile coming over “I found there was lots to love that you never showed.” 

 

Paris beamed back at her, the gaze boring into  Rory’s becoming softer. 

 

“But I mean, how did it _happen?_ Did you guys just after-school-special it and start recognizing each other’s differences?”

 

“Well..there was lots of stuff.” 

 

“Embarrassingly, it was actually a lot like that.” Paris pointed out “Who we really have to thank is your mother.” 

 

“Grandma?” 

 

“Mom?”

 

The blonde squinted back at her “Well obviously. What happened before anything? Your mother tried to help by making us see –”

 

“The Bangles.” Rory grinned. God, that felt like a million years ago. It was one of those fading memories she keeps close. She still remembers it being the first time she saw Paris smile as she took in her first ever concert, the neon lights and excitement washing over them – and how nice it looked on her. 

 

“Who?” 

 

“Before your time – _way_ , before you time, really.” Paris answered “Lorelai saw that there was clearly some..difficulties occurring between us, so, she gave over tickets she had to a concert she’d planned to go to, and told Rory to give the other to me as a kind of...peace offering, and go together.” 

 

“So..I owe my very being here to Grandma? I mean, I guess I do anyway, but..” 

 

Rory ponders over the thought, pointing to her wife  _ “Technically,  _ we owe it to Medina. The only reason mom could suggest going to the concert together was because you came to the house to do Romeo and Juliet which he assigned us.” 

 

“ _That’s_ where that comes from?!” Lora blurted out “I thought it was because it was a smoltzy romance play and mum is a huge literary nerd.” 

 

“Hey!” 

 

“Not exactly – it’s more due to it being, in a way, the first thing that brought us together, even if it was forceful. And I’d doubt the knowledge of your teachers if you call the tragedy a _smoltzy_ play Lora.” 

 

“Well you picked out the smoltziest quote anyway..” 

 

Rory chuckled at that. The quote has been hanging for years in their bedroom, the poster of the typography Paris had done up and framed for the first wedding anniversary.  _ My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.  _

 

“‘For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.’” She chimes, resting her chin on her hand “..You know, I still wonder if making that our starting point for our relationship is romantic, or indicative of something tragic.”

 

“Last time I checked we are not blind, love-struck teenagers.” Paris assured her, digging out the remnants of the ice cream the three had demolished “But if need be, I’ll actually wake you up before swallowing poison.” 

 

“Oh good.” 

 

“So..I _actually_ owe my life to your old high school English teacher..?”

 

“I mean..yeah. I guess you do. And maybe Shakespeare.” Rory realized. Huh, that was weird. Paris snorted beside them, the displeased, dismissing noise she often makes.

 

“Our relationship relies on nothing – not Medina, or mid-century writers. We chose it.” She glances from the ice cream, locking brown eyes to blue “If I was meant to be with anyone, it’s you. Regardless of plays or people or whatever else causing us to come together.”

 

Rory was thrown into silence, unsure of what to say to that. She was used to Paris’s random, romantic bursts, unpredictable and that often don’t always make sense. Her heart will spill over sometimes and there was a sweetness to that. But she hadn’t heard that sentiment before. She had no time to respond when Lora knocked the thought out of her head, asking,

 

“Okay, so, you guys became friends and then college happened, and then..you just stayed together..?” 

 

“...Well, it took a while to get there, but, yeah, in short.” Rory said, swiping her fingers over the rim of the dripping dessert tub “Mom was going to be in my life whether I liked it or not. Might as well have just gotten together and married.” 

 

“Thank you Lorelai. Good to see the romance has not dwindled.” Paris quiped, scooping out more ice cream as Lora fought for the rest “It’s also because all the men you dated before were idiots.” 

 

“Oh, because _you_ made such good choices?” Rory challenged.

 

“Who’d you’d guys date?” Lora grinned, bouncing in her spot.

 

“No one important –”

 

“You will never know –”

 

Lora deflated, making a visible frown. Rory sighed deeply to collect herself, straightening things out. 

 

“Okay, now that this is the end of this conversation –”

 

“That is not the end.” Paris protested.

 

“Well I think Lora got the picture so why don’t we –”

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean your mother stole when she had her first crush.” 

 

“ _Hey –”_

 

“You stole?!” 

 

“I just, I –” Rory groaned, putting her head in her hands “I-I didn’t _mean_ – it..it was accidental..”

 

“But you still stole.” 

 

“How would you know – you didn’t even _know me_ when that happened!” 

 

“What’d you steal?!”

 

“Look, I, it’s..okay...” Rory sighs, dragging fingers over her face. There was obviously no way of getting out of this now. She looks back to Lora – smiling, ears up, ready for the story. It was a lot better then the mopping version of herself earlier. Her daughter’s words ring in her ear again, of feeling inadequate to their supposed perfect teenage years. 

 

The advice was, after all, to show her she was there for her. That she could trust to tell her  things, victories and fallouts, without having to fight first  or put up defenses in case of what she’d do. And really, what better way  to do that then lamenting the story of the same tragic failing over a crush? So, Rory took a deep breath and gussied up to the table.

 

“In my defense as well, I was also sixteen. And when you’re sixteen with no previous dating history, partly due to living in a small town where the school was under two hundred kids..” 

 

“ _Especially_ considering it was Stars Hallow.” Paris expressed. Lora’s bunched her brow in agreement. 

 

“Yeah – I mean, due to population I would think it’s the kinda place where you might be forced to like, date a third cousin or step-family member..”

 

“ _It is not_ – look, I won’t have either of you put down my hometown like that, it wasn’t that bad. But I hadn’t really found anybody I honestly liked, until, well, I guess the fateful day..” 

 

“Who was she?” 

 

“He.” 

 

“Ew.” Lora scrunched up her face. Paris snorted to disguise her laughter. 

 

“Well _sorry_ to disappoint, but at that point I still thought my feelings for girls were really just admiring them or wanting to be friends.” Rory explained, Paris nodding quietly beside because her teenage self wasn’t any smarter either “And I’m not telling you just so you can ask Grandma. The _point is,_ he was new to town, and I..I went into the grocery store to accidentally find him there and I...I.. _god,_ it’s been _so long_ – how am I still embarrassed?!...” 

 

“‘Cause it’s embarrassing.” Paris deadpanned. Rory glowered. 

 

“It’s okay mum.” Lora assured, trying to giver her best smile “I mean, if you take your own advice, you shouldn’t have to feel bad..” 

 

Rory sighed “Well, let’s just say, I got so..flustered to the fact that he was there and that he could see me that I at one point picked up a bag of corn starch and somehow, in my attempts to get out without being spotted..accidentally took it out with me.” 

 

“Wow.” 

 

“Mm.” 

 

“So as I said,” Paris looked up, pointing her spoon to Lora “you’re not the first to make that mistake.” 

 

“Well actually, between potential thievery and literal harassment, I’m starting to feel slightly better about my situation.” 

 

“Well good, I guess.” Rory furrowed and unfurrowed, in the end smiling back to her “That’s what we’re here for.” 

 

“And, looking at it like this, if your mother and I can go on to fall in love and have a relationship lasting for a decade or so now after it started with literal fights to where you couldn’t pay us enough to be around one another, then I wouldn’t call it quits with this girl over one accident.” 

 

Lora grew quiet, twisting her fingers together. The couple waited, watching her eyes go back and forth nervously between them 

 

“...You really think I have a chance..?” 

 

Rory can’t help but grin at that, at the nervousness of someone still so young. Who had no idea what more would unfold for her. 

 

“Kid, you have more then _a_ chance.” 

 

“My love, you’re young. You’re practically oozing in chances. And if she’s worth it, she’ll give you one.” 

 

A smile thankfully came over the teen, brightening. She even let Paris reach out to brush the bangs away from her eyes. 

 

“Thanks. And I...I’m sorry..about before. Hearing your guys’s stories, I guess, it gave me a bigger idea, and I..” Lora glanced up from where she was anxiously picking at her nails, to Paris’s curious gaze “I shouldn’t have said that about you mom. That was unfair, and kinda dumb, so I just, wanna say I’m sorry for it..” 

 

Rory beamed with hidden pride, secretly so glad to have a daughter that at her age, knew when she was wrong and when she was right. And she knew Paris felt the same when she saw that rare smile come across her. 

 

“Sweetheart, you’re fine.” Paris reaches and tilts Lora’s chin up “Sometimes..I forget, what it’s like to be your age – how frustrating and how scary. I shouldn’t have yelled. I won’t lift the _grounding,_ but after hearing the story..I can loan you some things back..” 

 

Lora lit right up. She clumsily threw her arms around Paris’s neck as she dove into her, who brought her arms  right back  around too. Rory watched her squeeze Lora tight, eyes shutting briefly. After she leaned back, cupping Lora’s cheeks to kiss the top of her head. 

 

“Well, I guess we can say that went off well.” Rory reached out, holding up Paris’s wrist to read her watch “..God, is it eight already? I didn’t think it would be that late..” 

 

Lora spoke from where she was slumped into Paris, head resting on her collar “And no disrespect to the delicacy of ice cream and cookie dough, but is anyone else hungry?..” 

 

“Well we did skip right over dinner.” 

 

“Then there’s one sole solution to this and that is pizza.” 

 

“Oh!” Lora sprung up with interest and a wide smile. Paris looked less then enthralled. 

 

“Lorelai, we are not having take-out for the third time this week.” 

 

“This is different – last time we had chinese.” 

 

“Yeah and that was three days ago.” Lora added. Paris groaned, head leaning back. 

 

“I’ll also point out then, that we just finished a whole tub of ridiculously sugary ice cream and now you want to order pizza?!” 

 

Rory blinked back, squinting “ ..Yeah? And?”

 

“It’s a full meal. First dairy,” Lora lifted and shook the empty tub “and now we’ll have the rest of veggies and meat and grain – full circle!” 

 

Paris sighed. She reached out and swiped the tub from  her daughter who was shaking it in front of her face, handing her a particular look at her. 

 

“I’ll have you know I’m the only reason you didn’t die of malnutrition as a child.” 

 

“Hey, I helped!” 

 

“What – in between you and your mother spoonfeeding her chocolate sauce when I wasn’t looking?!” 

 

“Hey, I rocked a C in gym class, so it could be worse. Can we get two doubles this time?” 

 

“And the breadsticks while we’re at it, otherwise we just end up with a bunch of dips.” 

 

“Gotta save them.” 

 

“Exactly.” 

 

Paris raised her eyebrow in return  _ “You two  _ wanted it,  _ you  _ order it.” 

 

“I’m fourteen. I have no money – mostly ‘cause you won’t give me any.” 

 

“We won’t bottlefeed you Lora – you want something, you go get it because that’s –”

 

“– how this world works, I know.” 

 

“I’ve always told you you can help out Grandpa at the diner.” Rory reminded her, turning back to her wife “And I just..don’t..please don’t make me go back down the stairs for my phone.”

 

Paris’s only sympathy was to roll her eyes, especially at the moping sad  look Rory tried to  pass off. Lora chews on her tongue, scooting over to her mum. 

 

“Besides, I head a rumor that you love us, soo..” She trails off with a grin, placing her chin over Rory’s shoulder, fluttered her eyelashes with great exaggeration. The elder Lorelai grins back and makes the same doe-eyes. Paris glared for a couple more seconds, the frumpled look and thin lips showing the crack that was soon to break.

 

Then she snatched up the empty carton and threw her feet  over the bed  side.

 

“...God, I have to do everything in this damn house..” 

 

Lora broke into applause. Rory grinned watching Paris stomp her way around the bed, headed for the door with residual grumblings coming off her. 

 

“Love you Par!” 

 

“Love you Mom!” Lora beamed, pushing off from Rory’s shoulder to call “Oh, and get the stuffed crust!” 

 

There was another mixed yell, or possible groan, from the hall. Rory did her best to subdue her laughter so she could shout,

 

“And the extra toppings!”

 

“Any more suggestions and I’m canceling our subscriptions!” 

 

Both hid their snickering behind hands pressed over mouths, the stomps going down the stairs getting quieter. When she couldn’t hear them anymore, Rory spoke, 

 

“I hope she doesn’t – I think we’re due in for a free order soon.” 

 

“She’s bluffing – she always eats the biggest pieces anyway.” 

 

She shouldn’t but she breaks into laughter anyway, smothered so Paris doesn’t hear. Lora is quick to join in  on  the giggles, faces going red. After they shook it off, Rory glances back to her, and a gentler smile followed. There she is; that’s her daughter, not the angry monster that’d taken over  earlier.

 

Lora  smiled the same and nothing  needed to be said as she leapt over and put her arms around her mother, burrowing in. Rory instantly brought her arms around, holding tight.  _ Thank god.  _ They stay like that for a while, Lora nestled in and resting her head on her mum and Rory keeping her close.

 

“..I’m sorry.” Lora whispered.

 

“I know.” Rory whispered back, hugging tighter.

 

Lora eventually slid off her, and despite Rory’s smile, remained downcast, avoiding her gaze to pick at her nails. 

 

“I shouldn’t have said what I said, I was just..mad, at what’d happened, and I didn’t wanna tell you that I messed up, or reveal the big stupid reason _why_ I messed up..”

 

“I get it. I wouldn’t sweat it though; you’re going to keep making mistakes all the way until you’re even older then _us,_ so I don’t want you to feel like you gotta hide them. Also, speaking of..”

 

She stalls a bit, processing for what she was going to say, for the bandage she wanted to offer. 

 

“I was thinking..about what you said – about how you said you did so bad messing up while me and mom never did anything wrong, how disappointing you are..” She pauses, wilting when Lora buried her head down “..Do you really feel like that?..” 

 

Lora didn’t look up. She twirled the leftover spoon between her hands. 

 

“I..I dunno, I know you don’t directly _expect_ anything from me but..it’s still a big shadow that was left behind you know? Kinda intimidating..” 

 

She’s trying to smile it off but it’s thin at best. She still won’t look at her.  It was enough to  break Rory’s heart. Immediately, she reaches over and grasps for Lora’s hands, interlinking their fingers. 

 

“Well, I’m going to put an end to that right now.” She leans in to catch the same baby blues, a smile for the nervousness she saw in them “Because you gotta know, all of that means nothing..”

 

“Mum, it doesn’t mean _nothing –”_

 

“Yeah, it _does._ Lora I’m not interested in you being like me, and neither does Mom want you to be like her.  And, _clearly,_ by the stories divulged, mom and I were _far_ from perfect, crushes or not, back then.” 

 

Rory gets a small, puff of a laugh from Lora. She squeezes her hand in response. 

 

“We want you to be like you, and that’s it. Just happy.” 

 

It took a second to get a response,  Rory holding her breath. Slowly, Lora nodded. 

 

“Okay. Though..I’m not totally sure..if I know what that means..yet..”

 

Rory wouldn’t expect anything less. She stares back at her daughter – bright eyes, the freckles along her cheeks starting to fade out but still present on her nose. She was really starting to grow into her features. Her smile starts coming back.

 

“You will.” 

 

Finally, Lora staring smiling back. 

 

“I love you mum..”

 

“I love you too.” Rory reached out to push the bangs from her eyes, ruffling them “For whoever you are – I just hope it doesn’t include more fire alarm pulling..” 

 

Lora chuckles “It’s okay, I think we can effectively cross that off the list. Besides, if I ever did it again Mom would cut off my legs so fast I wouldn’t even be able to run away.” 

 

That got a good laugh out of Rory “..I would say I wouldn’t worry  to  _ that  _ extreme, but I honestly can’t make that promise. But, I agree with her about the girl – if she’s worth her weight, she’ll listen to you on what happened.” 

 

“I _hope.”_

 

“‘Don't waste your love on somebody who doesn't value it.’ That’s another lesson from Romeo and Juliet.” 

 

Lora did a poor job of hiding her scoff, raising an eyebrow “And still you protested when I called you a dork.” 

 

Rory tried to glare, but it was ruined by her grin. Instead, she swiped her hands out and grabbed Lora’s hood, throwing it over her head and yanking on the strings to close it around her face. Lora squeaked and tried to retaliate by swatting her arms away, missing  instead  from  being temporarily blinded. Rory couldn’t keep her laughter down when Lora teetered back into the bed, and when she also starting laughing, stopping it from becoming louder  to the point both of them were so boisterous Paris had to yell up the many flights to quiet down so she could order the pizza  _ they  _ wanted.

 

-

 

_ Hey kid – how’d the battle go? You get through or is an intervention needed?” _

 

Rory grinned a the text, shaking her head. On hand held onto her phone, thumb hovering over the keyboard, and the other was scraping over the kitchen counter for the breadstick box –

 

The lid came slamming down and she had to yank her hand back if she wanted to keep her fingers.

 

“I think we’re done with this.” Paris claimed.

 

“We have to finish it!” She protested. Paris instead swiped the take-out box away off the counter before Rory could make the valiant fight for it.

 

“That’s exactly what fridges are for Lorelai. It’s also about knowing your own limits.”

 

“You just like to ruin my fun.” Rory retaliated, watching her slide the box into the fridge. Paris leans back up after and falls in place next to her, glass in hand. 

 

The house had become quiet. Lora was back up in her room, resting easy now with her computer. Rory has no doubt she’s talking it up with her friends over the events that’d happened.  In that case maybe she should’ve considered revealing past crush mistakes, but no matter now. Lora was happy and talking to them. The mostly eaten pizza was put away and they were both, drink each in hand, resting. 

 

She sighed deeply, suddenly feeling heavier then before. The triumphs and run-arounds of today were finally wearing her back down. Her head starting nodding down until it fell onto Paris’s shoulder, face pressed into the fabric and familiar cologne. Paris brought up her hand to her back, gently resting where Rory could feel her thumb rubbing over the skin. Gradually, she brought it up and starting parting her hair idly. Rory sighed contently. She feels  Paris lean over and kiss the side of her head. 

 

“I could just go to sleep right now..” 

 

“It wouldn’t be the oddest place I’ve seen you fall asleep.” Paris remarked, pushing a brown lock behind her ear “And we’ve had a fairly eventful day.” 

 

“One for the count..” Rory remarked, rewinding the events in her head. She freezes on a spot, realizing she wanted, maybe needed, to bring it to light again.

 

“Hey..just, what you said about Medina, and, not needing anything certain to end up together..” She lifts her head up from Paris’s shoulder to look at her properly “What..what were you trying to say..?” 

 

Paris glances down, a formal look back on “..I mean, no one else was responsible for us. We didn’t need to rely on anyone else for us to come together. We did that,  and I believe, we were going to be together regardless. ”

 

“But..you say fate is for idiots. That it’s a dumb idea that anything in this world is meant to happen.” 

 

Paris stalled,  contemplating. Rory swears she could hear the cogs in her head hard at work, trying to wrap around words that can’t always  perfectly  encompass  what she wants to say.

 

“...You remember that spring holiday of our graduating year? When we very nearly spli –”

 

“Yes.” 

 

It would be surprising if either of them forgot.  Three years in, they’d been having some rocky months prior to the holiday break, where it felt like  all  they’d been  doing way  freying and growing apart and  arguing. And not their usual arguments either, which was was a staple in how they organized their relationship (you couldn’t be around Paris without  arguing , Rory learned that very quickly) and was always neat and  managed to reach a conclusion . These were ugly, and they escalated to one so awful it was shocking it didn’t bring the house down. They were at the ends of their ropes and Rory was coming to terms that maybe Paris could be in her life but maybe they  couldn’t be together like this. That it wasn’t enough. She’d cried and Paris fell apart into screams and sobs that forced Rory to flee. 

 

She’d end up staying with her mom, spending days collapsed in bed and trying to ignore her breaking heart. Paris would tell her later that she spent the holiday between sleeping and  drinking and still calls it the absolute worst time of her life. Rory, at the time, was sure  this  was it until near the end Paris showed up at the house on nothing but pure will and stubbornness. Lorelai, who’d been the shoulder Rory had  been sobbing her heart into, tried to get her to leave and she refused. She remembers Paris on the deck, hollowed out and broken down as she cracked with tears telling her that she would do anything but let this die.

 

“ _I know I’m hard to be with Rory, I know! I’m awful and difficult and I put you through more then I should! But I love you so much. So much. And I..I want to try to be better. I want to do anything I can to have you in my life and do better because I love you more then anything.”_

 

Rory sighs deep through the memory. 

 

“That was tough...” 

 

“I know. But, I told you I would do anything to stay with you. That..you were –”

 

“Your person..” Rory smiles quietly. 

 

Paris didn’t believe in a lot of romantic, she calls, bullshit. Soulmates, fate, that kinda stuff. So Rory has been absolutely shellshocked when Paris had told her – 

 

“ _Maybe..maybe you deserve more and maybe there’s someone who can do that for you. Maybe your right and it’s not me. But I know Rory, with everything, that you’re mine. I’m meant to be with you. You’re that person, my person. And I swear to you, I’m-I’m going to do whatever it is so I can stay yours.” _

 

That’d been all it took. They’d mended after that; it was rough to start, putting the fragile pieces back together, but Paris had kept her word and Rory helped and they’d done it. Now she smiles back at the Paris next to her, at her wife. 

 

“And now we’re here..” 

 

Paris starts smiling too. She slips her free hand  around the brunette’s, rubbing her thumb over. 

 

“So, you can see why I’m a little insulted at the idea that if those things hadn’t have happened, we never would’ve been..” 

 

Rory chuckles. She kisses her bare shoulder and puts her head back down to rest. 

 

“Yeah, I get it..” 

 

“..However,” Paris brought up after a pause of gentle silence “if someone had told my _sixteen-year-old self_ where I’d be standing right now and with who, I would've thrown a fit.” 

 

Rory snorted, lips half curled “And that person never would’ve made it out alive I bet..” 

 

“Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t have done the same!” 

 

“Oh yeah, I would’ve called them a liar for sure.” She agreed, taking a sip of her wine “Plus, there was the fact that it took us till college to figure out we also liked women.”

 

“Mm. Far too long.” 

 

“I’m glad Lora doesn’t feel like she has to hide that about herself..”

 

“Well lots has changed for the better since we were her age, thankfully. Also, I’m not sure what you were expecting, since she was raised by two bisexual women who’re in a relationship.” 

 

“Well I’m just glad she knows she can be herself that way – or, I guess, be as gay as she wants, without any guys at all.” 

 

“It’s smart, honestly..” Paris muttered into her glass, choosing to ignore the chuckle near her ear.

 

They stood in the content silence, resting. Rory’s  contemplating closing her eyes just to get a bit of rest, but something keeps her from it.  She doesn’t know why she feels compelled, but suddenly she’s grabbing her wallet she left aside for pizza. She unclasps the wor n leather to pull it apart, beginning to sift through the pocket on the side, crammed with way too many membership and punch cards. She wasn’t exactly sure when she became  _ that  _ mom, but oh well. Eventually she slips out the folded  old school photo. 

 

Rory doesn’t remember exactly what age Lora was, but she did remember it was second grade. They’d spent an hour doing up her hair and she’d fought every minute of it. But she sat as bright as ever in her new purple dress for the photo, smile Chesire-cat grade. It proudly showed off the tooth she was missing after losing it the night before; the both of them griped on how it would come out in the photo, but now, it made the picture even sweeter. Out of nowhere, there was stinging at the back of her throat, and  a  sudden fondness crushing her heart.

 

“Rory?..” 

 

“She’s not little anymore..” Rory whispered, holding up the picture “Look at that. Now she’s a teenager. A teenager with a crush on another teenager..” 

 

She can’t see it from where she’s leaning but she swears she can hear Paris’s smile, accompanied by the light scoff when she takes the photo.

 

“..Well I’m glad at least I wasn’t the one to break first..” 

 

“Liar. I saw you tear up at her bat mitzvah.” 

 

“That’s besides the point. She’s..she’s only...” Paris trails off, pausing, until biting the bullet and sighing too “..You’re right. She’s not little anymore – when the hell did that happen?” 

 

“I don’t know.” Rory moped, turning and pressing her forehead into Paris “I guess it happened whenever we became old..” 

 

“Jesus..” 

 

“Mm.” 

 

Rory continued to stare out into the wide kitchen, listing to the low hum of the fridge as the only sound. She waited for the picture to be handed back to her, but it didn’t happen. Paris’s soft voice eventually broke the contemplative silence. 

 

“...She’s good still.” 

 

“She is.” Rory smiled; she couldn’t have asked for better, nor would she have settled for anyone else. She took in a deep breath in, still feeling the lump pressing in her throat. 

 

“..God,” She huffed, wiping her fingers under her eyes as quickly and quietly as possible “when did I become one of those moms that constantly cries over her kid??..” 

 

“It’s normal Rory.” Paris assured her; she was still clutching onto the photo, sigh coming out shaky “..I’m just so glad it’s like this.” 

 

“Like what?..” 

 

“That she can be mad at me. When I was her age, my parents were so..distant from me, and underneath, I was too scared to even consider acting in a such a way to them. But..this means Lora feels safe. That she’s comfortable with me. That she knows, even if she gets upset, that..I’m still going to love her no matter what.” 

 

Rory stayed quiet, thinking. Slowly, she moves up her head, tilting it to Paris. The brown eyes were locked on the  pictured  moment in time, of her daughter who then only rose to her waist; they’d never loose their iron grip, but the gaze was soft, adoring. Rory often saw it on her when Lora was young, nights when Paris couldn’t sleep and so she’d sneak over to the crib, watching so intensely and so full of love at the gently slumbering baby. 

 

Rory smiles again. She leans up, hand cupping Paris’s cheek and placing a kiss on the other. 

 

“Told you..” she whispered. Paris scoffs, her own smile breaking out at the edges. 

 

She lets Paris clutch onto the photo, leaning further against the counter. She tips back her glass to swallow the rest of her wine.  She considers going to get more,  but  she’s interrupted by Paris’s eyes burning into the side of her head. 

 

Paris was beaming at her, smile shining. It was amazing to Rory, that after so long, she could catch Paris looking at her like she could pull down the sun if she wanted to.

 

“..You’re a good mother Rory.” 

 

Her words were so quiet for the big room. Rory blinked back, the compliment catching her off-guard. After, she glanced away, hoping to hide the bashful smile. She really didn’t even think that much of it. 

 

“I don’t..I..I really just try to do what I think is right..” 

 

“ _And_ you’re good at it. It’s the only reason _I’m_ close with her, because you are. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if you weren’t here..” 

 

“Give yourself _some_ credit..” 

 

“I know where my strengths are Rory. You know people aren’t exactly one of them.” 

 

Rory  mulled over the words, eventually realizing she had to nod along. There was a reason when they were expecting, Paris had more emotional breakdowns over having a baby then she, the one who was actually pregnant, ever did.

 

“Well..I had good steps to follow in..” 

 

“Undoubtedly. But, your parenting isn’t just a copy of your mother’s. A staple maybe. But you are your own and it’s clear to anyone nearby how close you are.” 

 

“..I –”

 

“There’s a reason she loves you so much.” 

 

Rory  blinks up , Paris still shining at her.  Rory would never boast her own name. Especially when it came to parenting – that kind of thing was hardly comparable to standing up on a #1 podium and waving a trophy around. Really, on most days, she just hopes she doesn’t horribly screw anything up with Lora. The only point in getting better was her daughter. 

 

But Paris’s  earnesty and Lora’s tight hug, showing she was at least hitting the right buttons even if  semi-blindly, didn’t hurt either. 

 

Finally, she smiled back up. There was lots, hypothetically, she could say but rather she places her hands over Paris’s shoulders and kisses her. Paris sighs against her, fingers sliding around Rory’s waist to keep her closer, kissing long and languid. Rory still loves that – that Paris will always hold onto her like she was the sole person she ever wanted to keep, like this was as important as their first kiss. They were both still lost in it when the thumping of approaching feet interrupted them. 

 

“Hey guys, guys, Mum – _okay n_ _o!_ Ew, god, stop it guys seriously –”

 

Rory couldn’t hold back her grin. She cupped the side of Paris’s  face, pulling her in to kiss her deeper.

 

“ _I’m serious_ guys I’m gunna go blind – Mum, knock it off!..Oh my god, you’re both so gross..Mum, _hey,_ seriously stop scarring me! _Mum –”_

 

“Yes?” Rory tossed her head back to grin sweetly at her daughter, one hand still around Paris’s neck. The latter’s lips tilted at the side, a brow going up. 

 

Lora, who’d had her arms thrown dramatically over her eyes, gradually lifted them to see if it was safe. Once declaring it was, she dropped them, all forgotten when a smile takes over and she leans in over the doorway. 

 

“When are we gunna go in to see Grandma and everyone next?..” 

 

Rory’s brow scrunched up at that. Lora loved her grandmother of course, but it wasn’t like any teenager was itching to go spend time with their grandparents in their one-stop-light town. 

 

“Uhh, I dunno – I guess I can call Grandma to see if they want to come to dinner soon..” 

 

“No, we gotta go there..” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“‘Cause I gotta talk to Aunt Lane.” Lora argued, throwing her parents even further “I was looking up and listening to those bands Kiran talked about and they’re all, like, way back in the 90’s –”

 

Rory couldn’t help it. 

 

“Oh man, the 90’s – when phones were just for talking and still plugged into the wall.” 

 

“You couldn’t even look up bands to listen to them.” Paris joined in, reigning in her smile but Rory could hear the amusement in her voice.

 

Lora rolled her eyes “Okay, funny –”

 

“It was hearing it on the radio or waiting four hours in line to get their newest album –”

 

“And then the cassettes would unspoolor you had to spend time rewinding them to hear that one song again –”

 

“And CD’s would scratch and the diskman’s skipped if you moved even a little bit.” 

 

“ _Okay –”_

 

“Those were the dark ages.” 

 

“Dinosaurs still roamed the earth.” 

 

“Okay I get it! I’m _saying,_ Aunt Lane loves music, especially rock, and I figured she’d know about them right?..” 

 

“Yes Lora.” Rory amused her. Lane would probably very much enjoy discussing the greatness of rock bands to the younger generation.

 

“Great!” She lit up all over again, already turning on her heels “I’m gunna go put a list together of them to show her – so we can go soon, right?!” 

 

“Lora,” Paris furrowed, leaning towards her “what’re..what’re you doing – this..it’s a _grounding_ it’s not suppose to be fun –”

 

“You never said that.” 

 

“Do I have to –”

 

Rory reached out and pushed down Paris’s extending arm, taking a breath as she smiled at her daughter and spoke to appease the both of them, 

 

“Not right now ‘cause you have some time to punch in still.” She told her, feeling Paris’s flames dial down and seeing Lora make a nearly audible frown “But after that, for sure.” 

 

“Awesome! Okay I’m just gunna go look at them now I’ll see you guys later..”

 

“Lora –”

 

“and by the way, I’d keep from being gross and making out if you ever want me to believe you guys actually hated each other!..” 

 

“ _Lora –”_

 

But the descending voice and steps were gone in a blink, leaving Rory to chuckle and Paris to throw her hands up.  Rory will take it over sulking, anyway. Her phone buzzes at the counter beside her, lighting up  with the name ‘Mom’ accompanied by a heart  on the screen , throwing her into the  conversation she’d forgotten.

 

_ \- C’mon, this is cruel! I need the verdict and to know if we need to send in the troops or not! _

 

_ \-  _ _ Call off the troops, it’s fine. Lora’s feeling better now and everybody talked : _ _ ) _

 

_\- Knew you had it into you kid. What was the flint starter for the problems?_

 

_\- You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.._

 

_\- I’ve been around the block, you see some things. Try me._

 

_\- Turns out the culprit was a crush._

 

_\- Oooh! This is the first isn’t it? What happened? Crush pulled the alarm? Crush pressured Lora to pull the alarm?_

 

_\- It is, unless you wanna count schoolyard crushes. And it’s already a dozy – I’ll have to tell you later. But no, it was completely Lora’s doing in light /of/ a crush._

 

_\- This is exciting :D Crush stories always make for the best stories so I can’t wait to swap when you guys come out._

 

_\- Put away the party hats. She always knows that I stole_

 

_\- Boo! :( That takes away my plans – where’s the fun in mothering if I can’t tell the embarrassing stories about you to your kid?_

 

Rory laughs. Paris was in the middle of asking her what was so hilarious – when sudden, muffled punk rock was heard from upstairs. Guess Lora wanted to use her speakers too.

 

Paris groaned loudly. She swiped both their empty glasses and opened the fridge for more wine, grumbling something about making “repeated trips down to the cellar” for tonight. Rory bites into her smile, turning back to her mom as she listens to the noise of her family around her.

 

_Love you too mom. And don’t worry, I doubt you’ll struggle in coming up with other ones._

 

_Love you kid. And please – I already have the two more on the back burner ;)_

**Author's Note:**

> If that was at all good for you, please let me know! Depending on how many people liked this kinda thing, I have another fic based around this family and the whole crush thing (featuring the actual crush, a very nervous Lora, Rory trying to be helpful without overbearing and protective!dad Paris). So if there's any interest in that, I'll go for it. I've also got another Chilton era based fic that I'm working on that I really love and is so damn cute, so hopefully you'll be hearing from me soon :)


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